Over the years, the capacity of mobile devices has increased dramatically with many devices having large amounts of storage. It is not uncommon to have mobile devices with memory capacities in the gigabyte range. With such large capacities, these mobile devices may store a variety of information including computer software.
One of the challenges that users face today is having the ability to migrate information from one computing device to another computing device. Usually, a user has to install an operating system and data files onto a computing device in order to use the computing device. However, if the user is mobile and needs to use a second computing device, the user has to find a way to operate the second computing device and use data files that may be stored on the first computing device.
The first challenge is for the user to operate the second computing device. The user has to gain access to the second computing device which may have a security access, especially if the user does not own the second computing device. If the security access exists, the user will be prevented for accessing the second computing device unless the user has a login and password. Even with access to the second computing device, the user has to be concerned that the proper operating system exists that will allow the second computing device to operate in accordance with the user's requirements or preferences. Today, a computing device may operate several types of operating systems each having its own unique functionality. For example, a computing device may operate the WINDOWS 2000 operating system by the Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Wash. The same computing device may also operate the LINUX operating system. Both operating systems have unique characteristics and functionalities although they may operate on the same computing device. The user may have a particular need or preference for one type of operating system over another which many not be the operating system loaded onto the second computing device discussed above.
Another challenge for the user, even after gaining access to the second computing device, is to have access to the data files that were originally stored on the first computing device. The current method for accessing such data files is to store the data files on a removable media device such as a floppy disk, a CD, a flash memory (such as a USB memory), or a removable disk drive. The user can store the data files on the removable media device and later use the removable media device with the second computing device. Unfortunately, the user has to maintain the most recent version of the data files either on the first computing device or on the removable media device. At some point, these two devices may need to be synchronized to have the same data. Secondly, the user has to take care not to damage the removable media device. Thirdly, the removable media device has to be small enough to not distract the user when it is moved from place to place. If the removable media device is too bulky or cumbersome, the user may not find the removable media device practical and may lose interest in using such device.
For the reasons discussed above, a solution is needed that allows a user to use his or her own operating system even when the user is using different types of computing devices. The solution needs to allow the user to access the user's data files without the need for a removable media device. The solution also needs to allow the user to access the Internet from the different types of computing devices while using the operating system.